Know the differences between iPhone XS and iPhone XR

Charles Sherman |Friday, September 14, 2018

Know the differences between iPhone XS and iPhone XR

Blink and you might have missed it, but Apple announced Wednesday that its new and relatively affordable iPhone XR will come with a feature we've been wanting for years - a way to easily turn on the flashlight and launch the camera with a single hand.

Apple also launched an identical looking bigger model, the 6.5-inch OLED screen iPhone XS Max, and the slightly cheaper iPhone XR with a 6.1-inch LCD screen. If you have been on an iPhone Plus you could go with the iPhone XS, which has with 5.8-inches a larger screen than the iPhone 8 Plus (5.5-inch), but why compromise? "With the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8 and 8 Plus all staying in the market, Apple has marshalled a line-up that will daunt its competitors".

Sadly, group FaceTime that supports up to 32 simultaneous participants is still missing from iOS 12 - Apple's planning to add it later this year.

As befits the hype, glitz and glamor of an Apple launch, the company revealed the details of its new smartphone models and a new smartwatch in Cupertino on Wednesday.

Apple appears set to continue its practice of higher pricing outside of the United States. The iPhone Xs is at last official - alongside the iPhone Xs Max and iPhone XR, and despite all the secrecy and speculation, it's much as everyone expected it to be. There's no home button, meaning there's no TouchID (though you can tap the front to view its lock screen).

"We are going to take iPhone X to the next level", chief executive Tim Cook said.

The US Food and Drug Administration said it worked with Apple to develop apps for the Apple Watch.

Apple will likely hold another event later this year where it will announce a MacBook Air overhaul with a new design and higher-resolution display, a new MacBook Mini for professional users, and new iPad Pro models with FaceID and smaller bezels around the display. In addition to the original optical heart sensor there is a new electrical heart sensor (made up of an electrode in the Digital Crown and electrodes on the back crystal). The company says it's the first EKG available over the counter. It'll be enabled through an eSIM software update later this fall.

The new watch can detect if you have taken a fall and call emergency services. It's also one of the few instances of the company's products being delayed that I can recall.

"I believe Series 4 will sell better than all previous models". As for the microphone, it's been moved to the side so that it's further from the watch's speaker, which is now much louder than before.

Apple stressed its devotion to data privacy, saying all health information gathered is encrypted on the smartwatch to be shared only as users see fit.

Last month, Apple asked the world to "gather round", and as always, the world tuned in eagerly to WWDC to find out about the tech giant's latest iPhone. The company's smartwatch and its wireless headphones, AirPods, have gained sales momentum over the past year, and Apple is hoping to accelerate that with updates to both.